James Brown, a candidate for Congress in a district that includes part of Shelton, said the United States must enforce its current immigration laws in the wake of the crisis involving an influx of children from Central American entering the country illegally.

“We, as a nation, must stop the flow of illegal immigrants — not only for the sake of our country, but for the health and safety of those making these attempts,” said Brown, a Republican challenging longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro.

“The humane thing to do in this nightmare is to convey loudly and clearly that it is extremely dangerous and ultimately futile to attempt to come to the United States illegally,” he said. “This must begin by enforcing our current laws, and amending them when needed through a transparent, democratic process.”

Brown, a Stratford resident, called the situation unfolding along the U.S. southern border “a humanitarian nightmare” that is “the confluence of conflicting messages and lax enforcement of our immigration policies.

Lived near the border when younger

Brown said he has lived and taught along the very border that the nation is focusing its attention on right now. He has been a school teacher in Texas as well as in Connecticut.

“As somebody who started his teaching career on the Texas-Mexico border, I have empathy for anybody who wants to build a better life for themselves in the United States,” Brown said.

But he said the United States cannot simply open its borders to all. “We must have unilateral, consistently enforced rules and regulations that create an orderly flow of immigrants,” he said.

A teacher for 21 years

James Brown grew up in Newtown, graduated from Newtown High School in 1987, and now lives in Stratford. He taught high school math for 21 years and has been a track-and-field and cross country coach for 19 years. In Connecticut, he taught in Stratford and Bridgeport.